Posted July 30, 2015, 2:57 p.m.

Posted July 28, 2015, 12:33 p.m.

In his own words, Matthew Tarach is:

Cleveland based Engineer/Producer.

Keyboardist for Scar the Martyr

Proud Reason user

Rum enthusiast

Player of video games

Looking for some awesome collaborations!

The metal band Scar the Martyr was founded in 2013 by former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison (with other members from bands like Strapping Young Lad and Nine Inch Nails) and they released their self-titled debut album later in the same year.

We had a chance to ask Matthew some questions about his music making and his work with Scar The Martyr. We are also glad to feature an exclusive piece dropped to Propellerhead for you to build on. Check it out below!

When you load up a brand new Reason song, what’s the very first thing you do?
I usually just mess around. I usually initialize a patch on one of the synths and just start tweaking before I even start doing anything important.

In what way is Reason helping you in your music making?
It helps with my workflow immensely. I often use reason in tandem with PT via ReWire.

How do you use Reason in Scar The Martyr? Do you use Reason in a live environment?
Reason is the heart of my live performance. I have NN-XT racks with all the samples I use during the set and individual patches and tracks that I cycle through depending on which song. Typically Combinators with keysplits. The low CPU usage makes it incredibly reliable for touring.

How does collaborating work for you in a band context? How does Scar The Martyr usually write and arrange a song?
We all live in different states, so a lot of the writing (at least my end) is done via file transfers. A few of the guys will write instrumentation and send me PT files. This is where I use ReWire predominantly.

Have you ever experienced writing blocks? If so, how did you overcome them?
Hah, often enough, and with a few drinks and tons of Grand Theft Auto. I've realized it's best to put things down and clear your mind if your current train of thought and ideas will flow more easily. I'll also switch instruments, if I'm having trouble writing piano/keys etc, I'll switch to guitar and vice versa.

What’s the hardest thing about making music, what do you struggle with the most?
Knowing when to stop on a song. Especially in a digital age, I can just keep adding more and more layers. At one point you need to know to just say "OK, I'm done".

The three most used devices in your Reason rack?
Subtractor, NN-XT, Scream 4 Distorsion.

What advice would you give to other people who are motivated to become more creative in their music making?
Listen to tons of different music and genres. Find sounds you like and try to replicate them, chances are you'll find out how to make new sounds that inspire awesome songs.

Posted July 28, 2015, 12:33 p.m.

Posted July 23, 2015, 2:23 p.m.

Get a new drummer for your next track! This week we've made a feed with acoustic drum loops, perfect if you need a solid foundation for your next song or just want something to jam to. Check out the feed, open a loop in Take or Reason and make some music!

Figure drum loops

Do you prefer waveforms and filters to sticks and cymbals? Check out this feed of electronic drum loops made in Figure! Ready to build on in Figure, Take or Reason.

Posted July 23, 2015, 2:23 p.m.

Posted July 22, 2015, 12:37 p.m.

Hi there, Stefan here. I just wanted to go through a few resources of where to find new impulse responses to use with the new convolution mode in the updated RV7000 MkII–when you're finished going through the massive RV7000 MkII ReFill, that is.

There is a plethora of free impulse responses (IR files) out there on the web which are free to acquire and free to use. This is only a list of a few of them, so if you're feeling bold, just do a google search for "free impulse responses" and I'm sure you'll find even more.

Another cool trick is if you use Logic Pro, you can simply rename the .sdir files used in Space Designer to .aiff or .wav and they can be used in the RV7000 MkII! You can find the .sdir files in the following directory: ~/Library/Application Support/Logic/Impulse Responses.

Starting with the most important ones, well, since I'm a guitar player.

Posted July 22, 2015, 12:37 p.m.

Posted July 20, 2015, 2:15 p.m.

House producer and long time Reason user Lucky Date recently joined up with Pyramind and held a two hour Elite Session which is now available online over at their website. Among LOTS of other things, Lucky Date talks about his production process and workflow in Reason and also how he came to the name "Lucky Date". We get an in-depth exploration of his own tracks and how they came about, as well as a discussion about collaboration techniques when working with other producers and musicians.

Check out the video teaser below and then head over to Pyramind's website for the full two hour Elite Session.

Pyramind Training, the San Francisco music production school, operates side by side with Pyramind Studios. Pyramind offers a wide range of programs; Music for Picture and Games, Electronic Music Production and Rock & Acoustic recording as well as four online programs centered around specific DAWs.